Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings

描述（由申请人提供） 研究人员正在申请继续在波士顿大学公共卫生学院（BUSPH）环境卫生系内成功开展跨学科的博士前培训计划，重点是社区环境流行病学（EECS计划）。 EECS计划由一个特定的培训方案组成，该方案位于一个成熟的博士课程中，旨在为博士前学生做好准备，使用目前最先进的方法来推进知识状态，并开发面向社区的环境流行病学新方法。 该计划有一个跨学科的工作智力承诺，建立在一个强大的合作研究计划内BUSPH和外部研究合作伙伴，旨在提供研究培训，是跨学科的精神，实质和成果。 调查人员将每年招募两名博士预科学员，对六名学员进行稳定状态的普查，并建立在从代表性不足的群体招募学员的良好记录基础上。 EECS学员通常在前三年获得培训补助金的支持，然后过渡到授予学员（例如NIH F系列奖，EPA星星奖学金）或教师导师（例如NIH R01奖，EPA星星赠款）的外部研究赠款金。 进入该项目后，将分配一名顾问来协助选择课程、确定研究轮换和制定论文计划。 研究人员提供一个核心课程，提供环境卫生，流行病学，毒理学，生物统计学和生理学的多学科培训。 高级专业课程的集群是针对正在进行的研究，如流行病学方法，社会流行病学和暴露评估的特定领域。学员在第一年（秋季，春季，夏季）参与三个活跃项目的研究轮换，这有助于融入计划并细化研究兴趣。此外，该计划提供口头陈述，教学和提案写作的定期机会。学员必须在五个学期结束前准备论文提案，然后安排书面和口头资格考试。 通过考试后，学员成立论文委员会，从事全职研究活动。培训计划的主要丰富活动包括每周一次的部门研究研讨会，每两周一次的研讨会和期刊俱乐部，年度研究务虚会，并明确指导负责任的研究行为。培训计划指导委员会（TPSC）通过学员和教师导师提交的课程成绩和进度报告，审查每个学员在计划里程碑方面的进展。EECS计划的进展情况通过学员在每个学期结束时的反馈进行评估，外部咨询委员会进行的审查，TPSC对成功和失败的关键检查，以及对毕业生的监测，以跟踪职业道路和出版物。 公共卫生相关性：研究人员正在申请继续一个成功的跨学科博士前培训计划，重点是波士顿大学公共卫生学院环境卫生系社区环境流行病学。 他们将每年招募两名博士前培训生，以进行六名培训生的稳态普查。该提案描述了一个具体的培训方案，旨在培养博士前学生使用目前最先进的方法，以提高知识水平和开发面向社区的环境流行病学新方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) The investigators are applying to continue a successful interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program focused on Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings (EECS program) within the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). The EECS program consists of a specific training regimen that is located within a mature doctoral program and designed to prepare pre-doctoral students to use the most sophisticated methods currently available to advance the state of knowledge and develop new methods in community-oriented environmental epidemiology. The program has an intellectual commitment to interdisciplinary work, built on a robust collaborative research program within BUSPH and with outside research partners and designed to provide research training that is interdisciplinary in spirit, substance and outcome. The investigators will recruit two pre-doctora trainees each year for a steady state census of six trainees and build on a demonstrated record of recruiting trainees from underrepresented groups. EECS trainees typically receive support from the training grant during their first three years and then transition to external research grants awarded either to the trainee (e.g. NIH F-series awards, EPA STAR fellowships) or to faculty mentors (e.g. NIH R01 awards, EPA STAR grants). An advisor is assigned upon entering the program to assist with selecting courses, identifying research rotations, and developing dissertation plans. The investigators offer a core curriculum that provides multidisciplinary training in environmental health, epidemiology, toxicology, biostatistics, and physiology. Clusters of advanced specialty courses are tailored to particular areas of ongoing research such as epidemiologic methods, social epidemiology, and exposure assessment. Trainees engage in three research rotations on active projects during their first year (fall, sprin, summer), which facilitates integration into the program and refinement of research interests. Additionally, the program provides regular opportunities for oral presentation, teaching, and proposal writing. Trainees are required to prepare a dissertation proposal by the end of their fift semester before scheduling their written and oral qualifying exams. Upon passing their exams, trainees establish a dissertation committee and engage in full-time research activities. Key enrichment activities of the training program include a weekly departmental research seminar, a biweekly proseminar and journal club, an annual research retreat, and explicit instruction in the responsible conduct of research. The Training Program Steering Committee (TPSC) reviews the progress of each trainee with respect to program milestones via course grades and progress reports submitted by the trainee and faculty mentor. The progress of the EECS program is evaluated via feedback from trainees at the end of each semester, reviews conducted by the External Advisory Committee, critical examination of successes and failures by the TPSC, and monitoring of graduates to track career paths and publications. Public Health Relevance: The investigators are applying to continue a successful interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program focused on Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings within the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health. They will recruit two pre-doctoral trainees each year for a steady state census of six trainees. This proposal describes a specific training regimen that is designed to prepare pre- doctoral students to use the most sophisticated methods currently available to advance the state of knowledge and develop new methods in community-oriented environmental epidemiology.